This Sept. 3, 2013 file photo shows Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, at the Capitol, in Sacramento, Calif. Chavez, a Republican assemblyman says he was refused membership in the California Latino Legislative Caucus and now the state attorney general has been asked to investigate the group and its policies.; Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chávez, representative of California’s 76th Assembly District, formally announced his candidacy to represent California in the United States Senate.

Chávez is running to replace outgoing Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who is retiring after over thirty years in the legislative body. While Chávez is seen as the underdog in the increasingly Democratic-held state, he is currently the most significant challenger to California State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who has already announced her run for the seat.

Can Assemblyman Chávez defeat the demographics to take the Senate seat in 2016? How will his candidacy affect the electoral field for Republicans and Democrats?

Guest:

Rocky Chavez, California state assemblyman representing the 76th District, which includes most of coastal northern San Diego County, including Oceanside and Carlsbad

A student naps in a lecture hall at the Freie Universitaet January 13, 2003 in Berlin, Germany.; Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The United States boasts some of the highest college tuition rates in the world, leaving the average college student with nearly $30,000 in debt when he/she graduates.

The higher education system in America has changed very little over the past century, but education expert Kevin Carey says that’s all about to change. In his book “The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere,” author Carey delves deep into the American college system to expose the declining standards of the brick and mortar colleges, and looks ahead to emerging technologies that are disrupting the nation’s college system.

He predicts the end of college applications, expensive textbooks, and “mercy Cs,”  challenging the way the country currently thinks about higher education. Instead, he sees a future in which college classes, books and lectures are free, and an education system where students can adapt their lessons to their own learning strengths.

Guest:

Kevin Carey, author of “The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere.” (Riverhead Books, 2015) He also directs the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation

"Contract." ; Credit: Branko Collin via Flickr

Teachers and parents at four Catholic high schools in the Bay Area are at odds with the Archdiocese of San Francisco after Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone proposed “morality clauses” be added to the school handbooks and changes be made to the way teachers are classified under their labor contract, which is currently being negotiated.

Under the “morality clauses,” teachers wouldn’t be able to publicly challenge the church’s teachings that things like same-sex marriage, stem cell research, masturabation, and pornography are “gravely evil.” He is also seeking to reclassify teachers at the affected high schools as “ministerial” employees, which could exempt them from protection from federal anti-discrimination laws in the event that they were terminated or let go.

More than 350 teachers and staff members at the four high schools have signed a petition opposing the Archbishop’s proposals. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has also passed a formal resolution asking him to respect the rights of the teachers, students, and staff of the high schools.

Does the Archdiocese have the legal precedent to do this under state law? What about under the constitution? How are parents, teachers, and students reacting?

Guests:

Father Mark Doherty, chaplain at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School in San Francisco, one of the high schools that would be affected by the Archbishop’s proposals.

Michael Vezzali, chair of the English Department at Archbishop Riordan High School, one of the San Francisco high schools that would be affected by the Archbishop’s proposals.

Rick Garnett, Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in freedom of speech, association, and religion.

Dr. Stephen DiMarzo (L) and nurses go over work details in the maternity ward at Scripps Memorial Hospital on January 9, 2007 in La Jolla, California.; Credit: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

California State Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) has re-introduced a bill that would give nurses the ability to provide primary care without supervision by a physician.

The language of Senate Bill 323 still needs to be fleshed out, but Hernandez told KPCC that it would likely give nurses the power to diagnose patients, provide primary care, and write prescriptions independently. A similar bill introduced by Hernandez in 2013 failed.

Last week, a study released by the Association of American Medical Colleges, a lobby group for medical schools, found that the shortage of doctors in the US will rise to between 46,000 and 90,000 by 2025. One solution is to expand the role of nurses--something that doctors and associations representing doctors have been traditionally against.

Read more here

Guests:

Ed Hernández (D-West Covina), California State Senator who represents the 22nd Senate District, which encompasses the cities and communities of the San Gabriel Valley, including Alhambra, Monterey Park, West Covina. He is the author of Senate Bill 323.

Donna Emanuele, Registered Nurse and President of the California Association of Nurse Practitioners

Yvonne Choong, Senior Director of Medical and Regulatory Policy at the California Medical Association

Actor Vince Vaughn waves on arrival for his Handprint and Footprint Ceremony in front of the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX in Hollywood, California on March 4, 2015. Vaughn made his cinematic debut in the 1993 underdog film Rudy, where he also became friends with fellow actor Jon Favreau and forged a creative partnership that led to his break-out role in Favreaus 1996 film-turned-cult-classic Swingers. AFP PHOTO/ FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images); Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein and Henry Sheehan review this week’s releases, including “Chappie,” “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Unfinished Business” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Guests:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and Variety

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com

A protestor pretends to talk on a cell phone as he taunts a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer at the Civic Center station on August 15, 2011 in San Francisco, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A California State Senator is looking to shore up protections for civilians who record police activity in public places.

He’s introduced Senate Bill 411, which Senator Lara says in a press release would reinforce civilian’s right to record police activity so long as they are in a public place where they have a right to be. It adds that police do not have the right to detain or arrest civilians for obstructing police because they are recording.

What could the impact of this bill be on local law enforcement agencies? Where does one draw the line between a civilian who is recording police activity and a civilian who is getting in the cops’ way?

Guests:

Peter Bibring, Director of Police Practices & Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California

Peter Moskos, associate professor in the Department of Law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a former Baltimore City police officer.

A scene from the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey'; Credit: Getty Images/Getty Images

"Chappie," the big science fiction film opening this weekend, takes on the concept of artificial intelligence  - when robots become empowered to think for themselves often with dangerous consequences.

It's well-trodden ground by sci fi masters such as James Cameron & Gale Anne Hurd, Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas. However, in the 20th century, those filmmakers had the advantage of the genre being more fictional than scientific.

As our techie culture continues to make leaps and bounds, are filmic portrayals of artificial intelligence keeping up? What makes a robot believable in the 21st century? What was evocative about R2-D2, the Terminator, and Samantha in Spike Jonze's "Her?"

Guests:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and Variety

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com

An I-5 exit sign with an I-710 pull-through sign, northbound.; Credit: formulanone/Flickr Creative Commons

A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) regarding a proposed expansion that would close the 4.5 mile gap between the I-210 Freeway and the I-710 Freeway was released today by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

An announcement is expected to be imminent, and you can access the draft EIR here. The proposal has run into significant criticism by community groups during the public comment period, and final funding for the project is still unclear.

Would you support an expansion between the 210 and the 710?

Guest:

Sharon McNary, KPCC's Politics reporter

(L-R) Logan Hill, Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright, Mike Rinder and Paul Haggis attend TimesTalks Presents An Evening With "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" at The Times Center on March 2, 2015 in New York City. ; Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

Is it a religion or a cult? New Yorker journalist Lawrence Wright  takes on his latest investigation into Scientology alongside renowned documentarian Alex Gibney.

The film "Going Clear" - opening in Los Angeles this weekend and on HBO later this month - details the interstellar dogma of Scientology, weaves through its history, the dramatic life story of founder L.Ron Hubbard, and damns the organization for abusing and exploiting its followers. On-camera interviews with former members include Hollywood screenwriter Paul Haggis and former church liaison to John Travolta, Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor who claims she was imprisoned in horrid conditions for trying to leave the church.  

In response to the documentary, the church of Scientology has taken out full-page newspaper ads stating "Gibney, co-producer Lawrence Wright and HBO have intentionally covered up relevant facts discrediting their sources speaks volumes about their bigoted agendas and the bias they hold toward people of any faith that doesn’t carry their stamp of approval." Why did Gibney and Wright want to take on this documentary? Why does Scientology continue to be cloaked in mystery?

Guests:

Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, former member of the Church of Scientology featured in the documentary; former church liaison to actor John Travolta

Lawrence Wright, Producer of the documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" based on Wright's book by the same name

; Credit: Tom Fassbender/Flickr

The long-awaited environmental impact report of the 710 freeway extension proposal was released Friday.

Lawmakers from the City of Alhambra and La Cañada Flintridge debate what should happen next.

Guests:

Barbara Messina, Councilmember, City of Alhambra

Donald Voss, Mayor Pro Tem, City of La Cañada Flintridge

Parents Richard and Elizabeth Jones attend a memorial for their daughter Sarah Jones, an assistant camerawoman who was killed by a train while shooting the Gregg Allman biopic film, Midnight Rider, on March 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

In a reversal of his July pleading of not guilty, director Randall Miller pleaded guilty today to charges related to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones.

The negotiated plea deal requires the director of “Midnight Rider,” a biopic about the Allman Brothers and their rock band, to serve 10 years in jail, pay a $20,000 fine, and complete 360 hours of community. With good behavior, he is expected to only serve two years, although he would be banned from participating in any supervisory role on a film set during the rest of the initial period. The charges include involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass.

Will Miller’s plea catalyze a shift towards safer sets? What is the level of acceptable risk that directors, crews, and others on set should take?

Guests:

Austin Siegemund-Broka, reporter with The Hollywood Reporter and he was in the courtroom this morning - @ASiegemundBroka

David Cohen, Senior Features Editor, Variety

; Credit: Micah Balwdin/Flickr

In the wake of a ballot measure that legalized the use of marijuana in our nation’s capital, a D.C. Council committee has advanced a bill to ban employers there from prescreening job applicants for the drug.  

But employers can still test for pot and other drugs after they offer the job to someone, according to the Washington Post reports. The D.C. bill still requires employers to test potential employees whose duties include the handling of heavy machinery and equipment, and the federal government’s policy of pre-screening all applicants still stands.

What are California’s drug pre-screening laws? What should employers and applicants in the state should be aware of? If you are an employer, do you screen for pot and other drugs?

Guests:

Todd Wulffson, labor law lawyer and partner at the law firm, Carothers, DiSante & Freudenberger in Irvine

Jonathan Kulick, Senior Project Director, School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University

Jonathan Caulkins, Professor, Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He was co-director of RAND’s Drug Policy Research Center in Santa Monica from 1994 to 1996.

Los Angeles Police Department Helicopter; Credit: Photo by Christopher Ebdon via Flickr Creative Commons

Helicopters are playing a bigger role in the LAPD’s predictive policing efforts and not everyone is happy about it.

Supporters of the policy say the department’s 17 helicopters offer a powerful expansion of the Broken Windows theory, a deterrent when they fly over hotspots identified through data-driven crime fighting. The data backs them up.

But critics say that statistical drop in crime is temporary and not worth the concern the practice raises over police militarization and the nuisance it creates for neighbors.

Are helicopters an effective tool for the police to be deploying in Los Angeles? Or should these resources be used differently?

Guests:

Craig Uchida, president of Justice & Security Strategies, a consulting firm that works with law enforcement agencies (including LAPD) to analyze data and provide crime prevention strategies.

Andrew Ferguson, associate professor of law at the University of the District of Columbia whose research focuses on criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence

Congressman Tom Cotton of Arkansas speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.; Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Democrats are outraged over an open letter sent yesterday by 47 Senate Republicans to the government of Iran.  

The letter warns that Congress would have to ratify any nuclear treaty, and that a mere agreement with President Obama could be tossed aside by his successor. Vice President Joe Biden released a statement in reaction: "In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country - much less a longtime foreign adversary - that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them."

The Republican letter was written by freshman Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas.  He defended the action this morning on MSNBC saying, "We're making sure that Iran's leaders understand that if Congress doesn't approve a deal, Congress won't accept a deal."

Did the 47 Senate Republicans go too far in expressing their opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran, or was this a principled stand against a potentially dangerous deal? How risky is the letter diplomatically? Is the letter in violation of the presidency's constitutional authority?

Guests:

Michael Warren, Staff Writer, The Weekly Standard

Jim Walsh, expert in international security and a Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program

A new proposal could make Maine the first state to tax nonprofits; Credit: Photo by 401(K) 2012 via Flickr Creative Commons

A plan proposed by Maine Governor Paul LePage would make his state the first in the U.S. to tax nonprofit organizations.

The proposal has started a contentious debate about the effectiveness of non profits in their communities and whether nonprofits should have to foot the bill for receiving municipal services. LePage’s plan argues that nonprofits should have to pay for services like police, fire, and snow removal. Opponents like hospitals and colleges say it would force their organizations to lay off employees or raise costs.

Should nonprofit organizations have to pay for municipal services? Are there specific issues that arise from taxing nonprofits?

Guests:

Scott Walter, Vice President of Capital Research Center, nonprofit think tank specializing in Washington DC specializing in the nonprofit world

David Thompson, Vice President of Public Policy, National Council of Nonprofits based in Washington DC

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden sit during a meeting with Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and Trade Representative Michael Froman in the Oval Office of the White House December 16, 2013 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed more than twenty years ago. As for how successful it’s been? Well, that depends on who you ask.

Fast forward to 2015, where Republican leadership in Congress and the White House are hoping to use the same procedure that was used to pass NAFTA to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. The rule, called “fast-track” would allow the deal to be forced through without any amendments or real debate. If the Obama Administration were to receive fast-track authority, Congress could be given a finished deal which would have to be voted on, yes or no, within 90 days and without debate or amendments.

The TPP would be the largest trade deal in history, involving about 40 percent of the world’s economy and  countries stretching from Japan to Chile. Opponents of the agreement say it would drive up unemployment numbers and lock in a rigid set of economic rules that could last forever, and that fast-tracking the deal would put it into law before anyone has a chance to understand it. Supporters say the deal would be a vast improvement to American trade, because it addresses certain issues that weren’t covered by NAFTA.

Do you think the TPP should be fast-tracked? What are the pros and cons of doing so? What would the TPP’s impact on the U.S. and global economy be if it were passed?

Guests:

Derek Scissors, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington D.C., where he studies trade as well as Asian economic issues and trends.

Peter Navarro, professor of business at the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. He’s also the director of the Netflix documentary, Death By China.

A general view of the north end of the stadium before the game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks August 31, 2013 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.; Credit: Brett Deering/Getty Images

Despite the bad press fraternities have been getting, a new study from UCLA shows that incoming college students’ interest in joining a fraternity or sorority is the highest it’s been in 15 years. 

The study surveyed 100,000 incoming college students on their attitudes on a variety of topics.  On the subject of whether they’ll join a Greek organization, over 15 percent of women respondents answered in the affirmative, and over 11 percent of men said the same thing.

Incidents of binge drinking, hazing and the exhibition of questionable behavior have cast a negative spotlight on the fraternity movement. The latest example: A recently-surfaced short video showing members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Oklahoma chanting to a racist song. 

Does episode like this hurt the image of the Greek system in the long run?

Guests:

Katelyn Griffith, Print Editor at The Oklahoma Daily, campus newspaper for the University of Oklahoma, which first published the video

Mark Koepsell, Executive Director of Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, which represents the campus personnel working at fraternal organizations. He’s also Executive Director of Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values, which works with student members at fraternities and sororities across North America

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks on stage with Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton for the official release of the No Ceilings Full Participation Report which coincides with the start of the 59th session of the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women on March 9, 2015 in New York City. ; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton just held a press conference to address the controversy surrounding her use of a personal email account during her time as the Secretary of State.

Following growing calls from both Republicans and Democrats, Clinton has come under pressure to address the matter. She said “I opted for convenience to use my personal email account, which was allowed by the State Department...at the time, it didn’t seem like an issue.” In addition, Clinton stated that she provided all of her emails that were work-related, and that the over 50,000 pages of submitted emails came through a vigorous vetting process that excluded those relating to her daughter’s wedding and her mother’s funeral arrangements. During the question and answer session following her prepared comments, she responded to a reporter’s question about the security of her personal email account by saying, “I did not send classified material over email.”

Will Clinton’s response put the debate over her emails to rest? Is this a debate about more than the documentation of public records? Could this controversy or others that come from it affect her chances in 2016?

Guests:

Emily Schultheis, political correspondent for National Journal. She joins us from the UN

Tarini Parti, political reporter for POLITICO

A woman wearing 3D glasses tests a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) virtual reality theatre during its presentation at the Industrial Centre for Virtual Reality in Saint-Nazaire on December 1, 2014. This CAVE is unique of its kind in France with a five-sided HD cellar of 3x3m whose aim is to obtain the perfect image in a realistic and interactive 3D immersion.; Credit: GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images

Virtual reality technology has been around for decades, with everyone from Google to Disney to videogame makers making big investments in the technology. Is VR about to go mainstream?

Watch the video below to see an example of one of the VR uses we'll be discussing, an "immersive journalism" project that uses VR technology to tell the story of the war in Syria.

Guests:

Ben Delaney, founder of and CEO of CyberEdge information services, a marketing consultancy on use and adoption of virtual reality technologies. He's the author of "Sex, Drugs and Tessellation: The Truth About Virtual Reality" (CyberEdge information Services, 2014)

Mark Bolas, director for Mixed Reality Research, the Institute for Creative Technologies, USC. He’s also an Associate Professor at the film school

Nonny de la Peña, director of the virtual reality journalism project called "Project Syria." She’s also a PhD student at USC.  

(L-R) Recording artists Pharrell Williams, T.I. and Robin Thicke perform onstage during the 2013 BET Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on June 30, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for BET

Yesterday, a Los Angeles jury awarded $7.4 million in compensation to the family of late-singer Marvin Gaye for copyright infringement by singer-songwriters Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke.

Starting in 2013 shortly after their release of the Grammy-nominated single “Blurred Lines,” the case zigzagged through court as Williams and Thicke denied allegations that they had ripped off key aspects of Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.” But with the landmark ruling and multi-million dollar settlement, shockwaves are being felt throughout the music industry as artists now have to more seriously consider what originality means and whether future lawsuits could chill their creative process.

Where is the line between one artist’s copyright and another artist’s creative expression? What does it mean for a song or a sound to be ‘original?’ And will this case open a flood of copyright infringement lawsuits against the thousands of artists who have copied, sampled, and morphed the sounds of others?

Guests:

Dan Nabel, Director of the Intellectual Property Clinic at USC and former intellectual property litigator

Robert Fink, Professor of Musicology, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music